Below is our list of summer oldies on CD. Themes include: hot summer nights, sunshine, beach parties, Hawaii, California, surfing, vacations, Gidget, summer camp, and summer romance. To listen to a song clip, click on a song title. To find more songs by an artist, click on an artist name.
Disclosure: This page includes links that will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings with some of the songs featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.
1956
- Theme Song From "Song For A Summer Night" - Mitch Miller And His Orchestra And Chorus
(This song, which has two parts, was the theme song for the Studio One TV production "Song For A Summer Night.")
1957
- Can't Wait For Summer - Steve Lawrence
- June Night - Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
(Instrumental. This song was previously a hit for Ted Lewis in 1924.)
1958
- Lazy Summer Night - The Four Preps
(From the movie "Andy Hardy Comes Home" starring Mickey Rooney.) - One Summer Night - The Danleers
(This song later became a hit for the Diamonds in 1961.) - Summertime, Summertime - The Jamies
(This song recharted in 1962.) - The Long Hot Summer - Jimmie Rodgers
(Title song from the movie starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.)
1959
- Blue Hawaii - Billy Vaughn
(Instrumental. From the movie "Waikiki Wedding" starring Bing Crosby who also had a hit with this song in 1937.) - Gidget - Jimmy Darren
(Title song from the movie starring Sandra Dee and James Darren. Darren's pre-1960 hits were recorded under the name Jimmy Darren.) - Hawaiian War Chant - Billy Vaughn
(Instrumental.) - Here Comes Summer - Jerry Keller
(This song later became a hit for Wildfire in 1977.) - The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nel Au) - Andy Williams
(Original song was written in 1926 by Charles E. King.)
1960
- Beachcomber - Bobby Darin At The Piano
(Instrumental.) - Greenfields - The Brothers Four
(This song (a.k.a. "Green Fields") later became a hit for the Vogues in 1969.) - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini - Brian Hyland
(This chart topping novelty hit was Brian Hyland's chart debut song.) - Summer's Gone - Paul Anka
- The Green Leaves Of Summer - The Brothers Four
(From the movie "The Alamo" starring John Wayne. This song later became a hit for Kenny Ball in 1962.) - The Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith And His Orchestra
(Instrumental. Title song from the 1959 movie. This song topped the charts for Percy Faith in 1960 and later became a hit for Dick Roman (1962), the Lettermen ( 1965), and the Ventures (1969).)
1961
- Gidget Goes Hawaiian - James Darren
(From the movie "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" starring Deborah Walley and James Darren.) - School Is Out - Gary (U.S.) Bonds
1962
- Beach Party - King Curtis And The Noble Knights
(Instrumental.) - Let's Go Trippin' - Dick Dale And The Del-Tones
(Instrumental.) - Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon
- Sealed With A Kiss - Brian Hyland
(This song later became a hit for Gary Lewis & the Playboys (1968) and Bobby Vinton (1972).) - Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys
- Vacation - Connie Francis
1963
- Beach Party - Annette
("Beach Party" by famous ex-Mouseketeer Annette Funicello was on her 1963 album "Annette's Beach Party" (Buena Vista BV-3316) which includes songs from the 1963 Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie "Beach Party.") - Gegetta - James Darren
(From the movie "Gidget Goes To Rome" starring Cindy Carol and James Darren.) - Heat Wave - Martha And The Vandellas
(This song later became a hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1975.) - Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp) - Allan Sherman
(Melody taken from "Dance Of The Hours" by Ponchielli. A new version was recorded in 1964 which charted that year.) - Honolulu Lulu - Jan And Dean
- Lonely Surfer - Jack Nitzsche
(Instrumental.) - My Summer Love - Ruby And The Romantics
- Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys
- Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys
(This song recharted in 1974 for the Beach Boys and later became a hit for Leif Garrett in 1977.) - Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer - Nat "King" Cole
- Wipe Out - The Surfaris
(Instrumental. This song recharted in 1966 for the Surfaris and later became a hit for the Fat Boys (with the Beach Boys) in 1987.) - Wonderful Summer - Robin Ward
1964
- A Summer Song - Chad Stuart And Jeremy Clyde
- California Sun - The Rivieras
(This song was previously a hit for Joe Jones in 1961.) - Remember (Walkin' In The Sand) - The Shangri-Las
(This song later became a chart hit for Louise Goffin (1979) and Aerosmith (1980).) - Summer Means Fun - Bruce And Terry
- The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) - Jan And Dean
- (Wait 'Til You See) My Gidget - Johnny Tillotson
(B-side song of the 1965 hit "Our World.")
1965
- California Girls - The Beach Boys
(This song later became a hit for David Lee Roth in 1985.) - Hawaii Tattoo - The Waikikis
(Instrumental.) - Surfer Boy - The Supremes
(In 1965, the Supremes appeared in the movie "Beach Ball" in which they performed "Surfer Boy" which was recorded in December 1964.) - The Theme From "A Summer Place" - The Lettermen
(Title song from the 1959 movie. This song topped the charts for Percy Faith in 1960 and later became a hit for Dick Roman (1962) and the Ventures (1969).)
1966
- Barefootin' - Robert Parker
- Happy Summer Days - Ronnie Dove
- Lonely Summer - Shades Of Blue
- Summer In The City - The Lovin' Spoonful
- Summer Samba (So Nice) - Walter Wanderley
(Instrumental.) - Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra
(This song was previously a hit for Wayne Newton in 1965.) - Summertime - Billy Stewart
(Melody based on George Gershwin's "Summertime" from "Porgy And Bess." This song was previously a hit for Billie Holiday (1936), Sam Cooke (1957), the Marcels (1961), Rick Nelson (1962), and the Chris Columbo Quintet (1963).) - Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
1967
- Come To The Sunshine - Harpers Bizarre
- Groovy Summertime - The Love Generation
- In The Heat Of The Night - Ray Charles
(Title song from the movie starring Sidney Poitier.) - Summer Wine - Nancy Sinatra And Lee Hazlewood
1968
- Barefoot In Baltimore - The Strawberry Alarm Clock
- Indian Lake - The Cowsills
- Sealed With A Kiss - Gary Lewis And The Playboys
(This song was previously a hit for Brian Hyland (1962) and later became a hit for Bobby Vinton (1972).) - Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers
- Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer
(This song was previously a hit for Eddie Cochran (1958) and later became a hit for the Who (1970) and Alan Jackson (1994).)
1969
- Green Fields - The Vogues
(This song (a.k.a. "Greenfields") was previously a hit for the Brothers Four in 1960.) - Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures
(Theme song from the TV series.) - Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly And The Family Stone
(This song later became a hit for Dayton in 1982.) - The Days Of Sand And Shovels - Bobby Vinton
1970
- Hey, Mister Sun - Bobby Sherman
- In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry
(This song later became a hit for Shaggy (featuring Rayvon) in 1995.) - On The Beach (In The Summertime) - The 5th Dimension
- Summertime Blues - The Who
(This song was previously a hit for Eddie Cochran (1958) and Blue Cheer (1968) and later became a hit for Alan Jackson (1994).)
1971
- It's Summer - The Temptations
- Summer Sand - Dawn
- Theme From "Summer Of '42" - Peter Nero
(Instrumental. Title song from the movie starring Jennifer O'Neil. This song later became a hit for the Biddu Orchestra in 1975.)
1972
- Automatically Sunshine - The Supremes
- Sealed With A Kiss - Bobby Vinton
(This song was previously a hit for Brian Hyland (1962) and Gary Lewis & the Playboys (1968).) - Summer Breeze - Seals And Crofts
(This song later became a chart hit for the Isley Brothers in 1974.) - Sunny Days - Lighthouse
1973
- Country Sunshine - Dottie West
(In 1973, Dottie West did the "Country Sunshine" commercial jingle for Coca-Cola.)
1974
- Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers
(This song was previous a chart hit for Seals & Croft in 1972. The Isley's Brother's version has two parts; Part 1 charted in 1974, and Part 2 was the B-side song.) - Wombling Summer Party - The Wombles
- (How I Spent My Summer Vacation) Or A Day At The Beach With Pedro & Man - Cheech And Chong
(Comedy skit.)
1975
- Heat Wave - Linda Ronstadt
(This song was previously a hit for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas in 1963.) - Hot Summer Girls - Flash Cadillac And The Continental Kids
(Flash Cadillac was a 1950s-styled group that had a number of minor hits in the 1970s.)
1976
1977
1982
- Hot In The City - Billy Idol
(This song recharted in 1988.)
1984
- Cruel Summer - Bananarama
(This song later became a hit for Ace Of Base in 1998.) - Farewell My Summer Love - Michael Jackson
1985
- California Girls - David Lee Roth
(This song was previously a hit for the Beach Boys in 1965.)
